IPL: Rahul Dravid appointed Rajasthan Royals head coach ahead of 2025 season

Former India head coach Rahul Dravid was on Friday announced as the head coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Rajasthan Royals (RR) on a multi-year contract. Dravid had guided India to T20 World Cup triumph in the USA and Caribbean earlier this year. This will be his first coaching stint since stepping down as India head coach following their T20 World Cup victory.

Dravid, who spent five seasons with RR between 2011 and 2015, will work with Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara with an aim to implement the cricketing strategy of the franchise. Dravid was captain of the franchise in 2012 and 2013, before serving as the team mentor in 2014. He then made a move to Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) in 2016 and in 2019, the former Karnataka batter became the head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

“I am pleased to be returning to the franchise I have called ‘home’ for a number of years in the past. After the World Cup, I feel it’s the ideal time for me to take on another challenge, and the Royals is the perfect place to do that,” Dravid was quoted as saying by RR.

“A lot of hard work and deliberations from Manoj, Jake, Kumar and the team has gone into the progression that the franchise has made over the past few years. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to take this team to the next level given the kind of talent and resources we have at our disposal and I’m looking forward to getting started,” he added.

Between 2015 and 2019, the 51 year-old was head coach of the India Under-19 team and the India A side. The India U19 team were runners up at the 2016 U19 World Cup, before winning the title under Dravid’s guidance in 2018.

In 2021, the Indore-born former captain was named head coach of the India men’s cricket team. Dravid led India to the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023, both of which India ended up losing to Australia. His contract, however, was extended till the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, when India defeated South Africa by seven runs in the final to clinch their first ICC title since 2013.

RR had finished third in IPL 2024 and reached Qualifier 2, where they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 36 runs.